Helping Communicators Find Creative Ways to Build Engagement

Meet Jon Reed

Jonathan ReedCreatively CorporateAuthor, Editor

I know that look. You’re thinking, “Who is this devastatingly awesome person?”

Well, I guess it all started the day I was born… eh… that might be going back too far. Let’s start with my early 20s. I attended Temple University’sRadio/TV/Film programwith the dream of being a film director. If you don’t know anything about the film business, unless you’re willing to take a vow of poverty (with no guarantee of success), then you will have to find a job. While I wanted a job in television, I remembered what a professor once told me – if you can write, you’ll always have a job because companies need people who can write.

Writing as a Safety Net I was always a great writer, so I decided to minor in English as a back-up plan. Eventually I found myself in writing positions for a few major companies. I was good at it. I was always able to write well and creatively, adding a fun, engaging tone to my work. By then, I pretty much accepted the fact that I wouldn’t do anything with film or video again.

My Cinematic Genius Recognized! But with technology becoming smaller, better, and cheaper, I was given the opportunity by my company to obtain a flip cam and editing software so that I could produce videos for internal communication purposes. I was reborn. The internal communications became much more fun and unique, and the employees really responded.

My Real Talent – My Creativity As I worked my way through the world of corporate communications, I encountered many people who could write, but weren’t exactly creative. Now, I always had a reputation as a creative, humorous… some might say… refreshingly and insightfully witty. Eventually, I became the person whom my managers and coworkers would regularly ask to make the communications we worked on more creative… “punch them up,” if you will. Whether it’s writing or making a video that made a topic more interesting, others relied on me to enhance communications and make them more engaging.

“So, why not start a blog dedicated to helping my fellow communicators find their creative voice and help them connect with their audiences,” I said to myself. “Hey! That’s a damn good idea,” I responded. Thus, Creatively Corporate was born.